How This Guy Became a World Champion Boomerang Thrower

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Logan Broadbent elevates the technical demands of competitive boomerang throwing to challenge for the world number one ranking.

As of February 2020, Cleveland-based athlete Logan Broadbent holds the number two world ranking in competitive boomerang throwing. A veteran of the U.S. Boomerang Team since age 14, Broadbent has secured three World Championship team titles and the 2014 World Trick-Shot Championship during his career.

  • Broadbent finished as the individual runner-up at the 2016 World Boomerang Championships in Kiel, Germany, and the 2018 championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
  • Swiss thrower Manuel “Manu” Schütz currently holds the endurance record of 81 catches in five minutes and a 14.07-second Fast Catch record set in 2017.

The Technical Evolution of Gear

The sport of competitive boomerang requires an intense understanding of aerodynamics, as throwers must calculate flight paths against shifting wind conditions. Broadbent, known as the “Boomerang Ninja,” utilizes custom-manufactured equipment to maintain his competitive output. The stakes of this precision were highlighted in late 2017, when his specialized gear was stolen in Cleveland.

Because “no two boomerangs fly alike,” Broadbent described the loss as having to “learn to walk again” to regain his competitive edge.

Broadening the Sport’s Reach

Beyond traditional field competitions, Broadbent has pushed the profile of the sport through high-visibility media appearances. He has been featured on American Ninja Warrior and collaborated with the YouTube channel Dude Perfect for a viral “Boomerang Trick Shots” video. In that demonstration, he performed complex maneuvers including behind-the-back and under-the-leg catches, as well as catching boomerangs with his feet while executing backflips.

Chasing the World Title

Broadbent is currently focused on closing the performance gap between himself and his primary rival, Manuel Schütz. While Schütz relies on his background as a physics teacher to maintain his technical dominance, Broadbent is refining his tuning techniques and equipment to specifically target the world records in both Fast Catch and endurance. He continues his preparation for the upcoming international circuit, where he aims to overtake Schütz for the top spot in the individual world rankings.

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